The Great Escape
Allied officers in a German prisoner of war camp during World War II make a daring plan for a mass escape by hundreds of POWs hoping to draw German personnel and resources away from combat operations.
Directed by John Sturges · Adventure · Drama · Thriller · 172 min · 1963
Trailer
Director
John Sturges
Studio
The Mirisch Company
Release
04 Jul 1963
Runtime
172 min
Genres
Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Full Plot
Based on a true story, a group of allied escape artist-type prisoners-of-war are all put in an "escape proof" camp. Their leader decides to try to take out several hundred all at once. The first half of the movie is played for comedy, as the prisoners mostly outwit their jailers to dig the escape tunnel. The second half is high adventure as they use planes, trains, and boats to get out of occupied Europe.
Cast & Characters
Captain ('The Cooler King'): one of three Americans in the camp, a particularly persistent escapee with an irreverent attitude.
Steve McQueen
Flight Lieutenant Bob Hendley ('The Scrounger'): American RAF officer, Eagle Squadron, responsible for finding materials on the black market for the escape attempt; forms a close friendship with Blythe.
James Garner
Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett ('Big X'): RAF officer and ringleader of the escape committee.
Richard Attenborough
Group Captain Ramsey ('The SBO'): most senior British & Allied officer in the camp, serves as an intermediary between the Germans and the POWs as their de facto leader.
James Donald
Flight Lieutenant Danny Welinski ('Tunnel King'): Polish RAF officer; despite having dug 17 escape tunnels in other camps, is severely claustrophobic.
Charles Bronson
Flight Lieutenant Colin Blythe ('The Forger'): mild-mannered English forger; forms close friendship with Hendley. His character was based on the artist Ley Kenyon.
Donald Pleasence
Flying Officer Sedgwick ('The Manufacturer'): an Australian officer who constructs tools for the escape.
James Coburn
Oberst von Luger ('The Kommandant'): Commandant of the camp and a senior Luftwaffe officer.
Hannes Messemer
Lieutenant-Commander Eric Ashley-Pitt ('Dispersal'): a Fleet Air Arm officer; devises a way to get rid of the tunnel dirt.
David McCallum
Flight Lieutenant Andy MacDonald ('Intelligence'): Bartlett's second-in-command.
Gordon Jackson
Flight Lieutenant Willie Dickes ('Tunnel King'): Welinski's best friend and co-lead on tunnel design and construction.
John Leyton
Did You Know?
Made on an estimated budget of $4.0M, The Great Escape has grossed $11.7M worldwide — about 2.9x its budget.
Source: TMDb API · verified 2026-08-02
The Great Escape is part of TMDb's "The Great Escape Collection."
Source: TMDb API · verified 2026-08-02
The Great Escape grossed $11.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-03
Critical Assessment
The Great Escape holds 8.2/10 on IMDb (276,075 votes), 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 86/100 on Metacritic.
Not enough independent critic/audience score breakdown available.
Ratings as of July 30, 2026
Where to Watch
United States
United Kingdom
India
Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDb. Availability changes often — confirm on the provider before watching.
AI Verdict
AI-generatedBased on aggregated scores (8.2/10 on IMDb (276,075 votes), 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 86/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Great Escape's Rotten Tomatoes score?+
The Great Escape holds a 94% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.
What is The Great Escape's IMDb rating?+
The Great Escape has a 8.2/10 rating on IMDb from 276,075 votes.
What is The Great Escape's Metacritic score?+
The Great Escape has a Metascore of 86/100 on Metacritic.
Is The Great Escape good? What are critics saying?+
The Great Escape holds 8.2/10 on IMDb (276,075 votes), 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 86/100 on Metacritic.
How long is The Great Escape?+
The Great Escape has a runtime of 172 min.
Who directed The Great Escape?+
The Great Escape was directed by John Sturges.
Where can I watch The Great Escape?+
The Great Escape is available to stream, rent, or buy on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, YouTube TV, TCM, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex, MGM Plus Amazon Channel, Rakuten TV, Sky Store.
Fan & Critic Buzz
The public reaction to "The Great Escape" is overwhelmingly positive, with reviewers praising its inventive storytelling and ensemble cast. Many have cited Eddie Izzard's stand-up performance in the film as a significant factor in their admiration for it. The movie has also become a timeless classic, celebrated for its true story of World War II POWs.
Viewer Reviews (TMDb)
Not just great, simply magnificent more like! "Wait a minute, you aren't seriously suggesting that if I get thru the wire and case everything out there, and don't get picked up, to turn myself in and get thrown in the cooler for a couple of months so you can get the information y…
John Chard · 10/10I can't watch this any more. It's a fun movie, one that my dad made me watch as a kid. One that I loved... .... and then Eddie Izzard killed it for me. Now whenever I try to watch it all I do is think about his stand-up bit. I think it was from his "Dressed to Kill," maybe "Circl…
GenerationofSwine · 10/10Got to be the definition of an all star (albeit all male) cast in this gripping demonstration of just how inventive and ingenious people can be when incarcerated and facing a bleak (if any) future. Each character in this WWII POW drama brings something different to this ensemble…
CinemaSerf · 8/10
From the trailer's comments
I showed this to m y kids, thinking they might get bored with an older movie. They were both captivated the entire time. Timeless classic.
@danielmiller1826 · 25 likesThe film celebrates its 60th anniversary today
@mathis08-v1g · 46 likesDefinitely one of my favorite adventure movie of my childhood and one it's incredible true story of The Great Escape.
@TheImaginator972 · 76 likesこの映画で一番の儲け役だったのは、バイクを乗り回し逃げるマックイーンではなくて長い足で自転車を悠々漕いで逃げるジェームズ・コバーンでした。
@敏夫徳弘 · 17 likesOne of my favorite movies.
@TheAnastasiaLee · 25 likesMy dad used to have so many of these movies on DVD.. western like movies from the 60s, I wasn't into it before but as I grow older Im drawn to it more and more. The transition from boy to man
@hughmungus8071 · 51 likesIncredible ensemble of actors . Awesome soundtrack . Great screenplay . Thrilling funny sad gripping a must see . One of my top 10 movies of all time
@Gkm- · 6 likesUna gran película como las de ese tiempo, las ví después de años, era muy niña para verlas, eran muy buenas pues eran súper producciones y muy bien echas, eran extras los demás personajes, no había efectos especiales, todo era más real, no cómo las de ahora, con la ayuda de la te…
@anabalcazar2062 · 11 likes
